1. Field of the Invention
This invention relates to an agricultural feed bagging machine and more particularly to an agricultural feed bagging machine having density control cables associated therewith to control the density of the material being packed in the bag without the need for a backstop and cable brake. Still more particularly, the invention relates to a rotor winch which is used to pull the density control cables from the tunnel and/or bag after the bag is filled.
2. Background Information
Agricultural feed bagging machines have been employed for several years to pack or bag silage or the like into elongated plastic bags. Two of the earliest bagging machines are disclosed in U.S. Pat. Nos. 3,687,061 and 4,046,068. In the prior art bagging machines, silage or the like is supplied to the forward or intake end of the bagging machine and is fed to a rotor which conveys the silage into a tunnel on which the bag is positioned so that the bag is filled. As silage is loaded into the bag, the bagging machine moves away from the filled end of the bag in a controlled fashion so as to achieve uniform compaction of the silage material within the bag. In U.S. Pat. No. 4,337,805, silage is forced by means of a rotor from the intake chamber of the machine through the output chamber of the machine and into the agricultural bag with a backstop structure yieldably engaging the closed end of the agricultural bag to resist the movement of the bagging machine away from the filled end of the agricultural bag as silage is forced into the bag. The structure of the '805 patent includes a pair of drums rotatably mounted on a bagging machine with a brake associated therewith for braking or resisting the rotation of the drum with a selected brake force. A cable is wrapped around the drum and is connected to the backstop.
Although the cable drum and backstop structure of the '805 patent and other similar structures do function generally satisfactorily, the cables, which are positioned on opposite sides of the bag, can create openings or holes in the bag which will adversely affect the fermentation process within the bag. A further disadvantage of the cable drum and backstop structure of the device as such is shown in the '805 patent is that the cables must be rewound after the filling of an individual bag. A further disadvantage of the cable drum and backstop structure of the machine such as disclosed in the '805 patent is that a dangerous condition exists should one of the cables break.
In an effort to overcome some of the disadvantages of machines such as disclosed in the '805 patent, an attempt was made in U.S. Pat. No. 4,621,666 to achieve the desired bagging operation while eliminating the need for the cable drum and backstop structure. In the '666 patent, the wheels on the bagging machine were braked to provide the desired resistance to the filling of the bag. Although the brake structure of the '666 patent apparently met with some success, it is believed that machines such as disclosed in the '666 patent experience slippage difficulties in wet field conditions which adversely affect the bagging operation.
In applicant's co-pending application, Ser. No. 07/912,873, a bagging machine is described which has a the capability of enabling the density of the silage material to be selectively controlled without the need of an elaborate braking system. Although the bagging machine of Ser. No. 07/912,873 does satisfactorily achieve all of its objectives, a more simple way of controlling the density of the bag material was discovered and was the subject of patent application Ser. No. 08/003,540. In the machine of the co-pending application, Ser. No. 08/003,540, a plurality of density control cables are positioned in the tunnel. Although the density control cables disclosed in the co-pending application, Ser. No. 08/003,540, did perform satisfactory, it was difficult to pull the bagging machine from the filled bag due to the fact that the density control cables were still positioned in the silage material. In an effort to solve the problem of pulling the machine from the filled bag, applicant previously designed a hydraulic winch-drum to pull the density control cables from the tunnel in order to be able to pull the machine away from the filled bag. Although applicant' s prior machine did function generally satisfactorily, it was necessary to provide an extra winch-drum which increased the cost of the machine and somewhat complicated the operation of the machine.